Criticism of Mormonism/Websites/MormonThink/Media efforts by MormonThink editor David Twede/David Twede in his own words

FAIR Answers—back to home page

A FAIR Analysis of: MormonThink A work by author: David Twede

Detail on David Twede's media efforts related to MormonThink

David Twede is a disbelieving, long-inactive member of the Church who returned to Church activity to enhance his credibility as the editor of the hostile MormonThink.com website. When his Church leaders learned of his public statements on his blog and message boards about his intent, as well as his effort to lead away members of his congregation without revealing his agenda, they advised him that disciplinary action would be taken.

Twede attempted to leverage these events into a media attack on the Church, though most reporters soon saw through his constantly-changing story and selective omission of relevant facts. As one noted wryly,

While Twede initially thought his current problems with the church were not linked to presidential politics, he seems to change his mind hourly."^[1]

MormonThink editor David Twede says...
"I hide my name precisely because of things like this....I know a lot of members don’t want their life disturbed. In the Mormon church, if you’re not part of the uniform group, you are ostracized."^[2]

Things to think about

In this blog post Twede tells anti-Mormon readers that he doesn't want his identity to be known because his efforts to use his membership in the Church to deliberately weaken the faith of others could result in Church discipline.

• Why does Twede not disclose that he, by his own admission, only returned to Church attendance so he could claim that the hostile MormonThink.com site was run by "active members"?
  • "I may be here [at Church] for the long haul. MormonThink [now because of me] has an active member as managing editor. Attending is my cross to bear (one prior edtior had to resign quietly when the church came for him, something I may find difficult to forestall in my case)." - David Twede, blog post, 12 September 2012.

• Why does MormonThink's managing editor not disclose that he used his claim to be a practicing, attending Mormon to deliberately undermine the faith of members?
  • "As the new managing editor at M[ormon] T[hink], and to encourage developing MormonThink with credibility and with pertinent information & experiences, I have decided I will renew my attendance at my assigned ward in Central Florida. I don't know if this is long term or not, but I am a member of record without blemish on my membership except inactivity in recent years." — Post by "mormonthinker" [David Twede] on ex-Mormon message board Recovery from Mormonism, 6 September 2012, 8:42 a.m.
  • "Going to church, as current managing editor (other editors are not returning, are resigned or completely out) is for me to both build perspective ...and to increase [MormonThink] credibility--that an attending mormon is actually one of the essential staff at M[ormon] T[hink]. — Post by "mormonthinker" [David Twede] on ex-Mormon message board Recovery from Mormonism, 7 September 2012, 10:28 a.m.
  • Anti-Mormon editors hiding their views and attending Church to more easily spread doubt is a common tactic admitted by MormonThink.

• Why does MormonThink's managing editor not tell the press that he knew that what he was doing would be grounds for Church discipline?
  • "I don't want anyone I meet in person to know I'm associated with, let alone managing editor at, MormonThink. I don't even want Pat [a member Twede was trying to lead away from the Church] to find it serendipitously--it could get me in a sort of pickle and cut short my church activity." - David Twede, blog post, 12 September 2012.
  • "Attending is my cross to bear (one prior editor had to resign quietly when the church came for him, something I may find difficult to forestall in my case)." - David Twede, blog post, 12 September 2012.

MormonThink editor David Twede says...
"[W]hy would I take these photos [of LDS temples] after leaving this religion? Because, I plan to sell them and recoup my donations over the years! hahahahaha!"^[3]

Things to think about

• Why did MormonThink's managing editor publicly and openly claim that he had left the LDS Church in 2010, but now claims he's a "member in good standing" to the press?
  • "I need to play stoic; switch on the poker face [at Church] so that...I don't stand out in character. Not yet." - David Twede, blog post, 12 September 2012.

MormonThink editor David Twede says...
"I may not have the beliefs I once had, but I feel a kinship to the culture....I don’t want to lose that. Losing my membership would be sad for me and my family."^[4]

Things to think about

• If MormonThink's managing editor feels a kinship with Mormon culture, why did his blog and public Facebook posts ridicule and express contempt for members of the Church and their beliefs?
  • "The theological discussions were rather dull, even for me...."
  • "It's funny that the adults are the ones playing pretend at church and the children are honest" (italics in original).
  • "I find myself sighing and eye-rolling at the phrase-tossing 'Book of Mormon' this and 'Joseph Smith' that."
  • "I text a friend who's left Mormonism long ago and with whom I console myself when I need to dull my LDS-pain." - David Twede, blog post, 12 September 2012.
• Twede's love for the culture and membership later turned to more overt hostility. One reporter noted:

For his part, David Twede seems to be trolling obsessively for an official slap down and the fleeting limelight of martyrdom.

Emboldened that the church blinked, this week he mounted his personal soapbox –- A Paisley Peristroika — and thundered: “Plenty of members are secretly sick inside when thinking about the direction MormonCo heads… the corporate takeover of their religion.”

Twede’s harangue continued in a private e-mail to me: “I now call on members to help reform the church and take it back to being a charity with love and acceptance, rather than an oppressive empire building corporation.”^[5]

• Why, though, does the atheist Twede want to 'reform' a religion that teaches that God exists?

MormonThink editor David Twede says...
"[Twede] described himself as a fifth-generation Mormon but 'agnostic, a doubter.'"^[6]

Things to think about

• Why does MormonThink's managing editor describe himself to the press in terms of uncertainty ("doubter," or "agnostic") but earlier declare on-line only days before that he is frankly atheist?
  • "I've returned to attend the Mormon church after five years of atheism." - David Twede, blog post, 12 September 2012.
• Why does he say nothing in his public discussion of his return, save his desire to acquire credibility and better represent current goings-on at Church for his hostile activities as MormonThink's managing editor?
• If MormonThink's managing editor is truly seeking, why all the mockery directed at members? And, why no mention of his hope for greater enlightenment if he is truly merely doubting or agnostic? Why no mention of his hopes to reform the Church from within--instead of raise doubt and draw people out of it--until after his public deceptions were revealed?
• His later claims of agnosticism appear only after having been caught by reporters in untruths--this looks a lot like spin doctoring and more dishonesty once caught in his earlier deception to Church members and the press whom he attempted to manipulate and exploit for his own propagandist purposes. Fortunately, only a few reporters with little understanding of Mormon practice or culture swallowed his tale uncritically.

MormonThink editor David Twede says...
...he feels kinship with LDS culture.

Things to think about

• Yet, within LDS culture, the private and sacred nature of the LDS temple ceremony is well understood. Twede would have known that believing members would find his actions offensive and inappropriate in one claiming to be a member. Why then was one of Twede's first actions as editor of MormonThink to return explicit material critical of LDS temple worship to the MormonThink site?
  • When Twede took over the editorship of MormonThink from the previous editor, he replaced the page that had previously been removed that contained detailed content about the temple. On September 5, 2012, he restored the article to the MormonThink website,

The Temple & Masonry - back by popular demand - 9/5/12

Early in 2012, some of the MormonThink editors elected to remove the Temple section from our website in an effort to appease some Latter-day Saints who expressed their reluctance to have any sort of public discussion on any aspect of the temple. However, the current editors of MT decided that this information was just too important to not discuss openly in light of the fact that Mitt Romney is running for president and many people wonder about the significance that the temple oaths may have on the man having the most powerful position in the world.^[7]

• After his meeting with Church leaders, he removed the page once again.

MormonThink editor David Twede says...
...that Church leaders were concerned about his publication of LDS temple materials.^[8]

Things to think about

• If this is true, then why did Twede attempt to shift reporters' attention to the temple ceremonies when they discovered that his claims about a political connection to Mitt Romney were not true?

At the same time, Twede worked to harness the newfound national attention as a vehicle for his Lutheresque agenda of reform. Reached for comment by BuzzFeed, Twede declined to talk about his Romnapostacy — he'd already done enough interviews on that, he said — but went on to pitch a number of other potentially juicy angles, complete with MormonThink links, and sources he said would speak out on the the controversies of Mormonism.

"There are also many other interesting Mormon stories, such as a super-secret special Mormon temple ordinance for a select elite few," Twede offered, for example.^[9]

MormonThink editor David Twede says...
...that Church leaders were concerned about his publication of LDS temple materials (see above).

Things to think about

• If this is true, then why did MormonThink's managing editor collaborate with ex-Mormon Steve Benson in preparing a press release claiming he was being silenced for his political opinions? Why did this press release not mention the temple angle, but instead emphasized the political dimensions?
• This message from Twede to Steve Benson shows the final press release as it existed when Twede was being interviewed by The Daily Beast. Note that it emphasizes Twede's articles about Romney and makes no mention of the temple. The Daily Beast published their article based upon this:

Posted by: steve benson [on Recovery from Mormonism] (emphasis added) Date: September 20, 2012 10:55AM

This revised and expanded press release was subsequently provided directly to me, via email from the managing editor at "MormonThink.com," with the following explanation. including additional information:

"Steve, here is the latest statement. Also note, Jamie has been approved to publish an article with 'Newsweek/Daily Beast.' We've also got request to talk with 'Salon' and Peggy Stack at [the] 'SL Trib.' Also a feeler went to the 'NY Times' from an associate of an editor there. I'm feeling overwhelmed at the moment, and can imagine it will get worse. Thanks for your help."

(David further advised me in a separate communication that he has now been interviewed at some length by the "Newsweek/Daily Beast" reporter, which means national press coverage. Other major media outlets have also expressed interest). .

Below is the updated news release (with the added details appearing in the last two graphs):

"Last week, on September 11, 13 and 15, David [name deleted] the managing editor of MormonThink.com posted a series of articles on the political history of the LDS Church, as it relates to Mitt Romney’s campaign and his stubbornness of keeping his tax forms secret.

"As managing editor, David is a life-long, fifth-generation Mormon in good standing.

"Then on September 16, his LDS Bishop, LDS Stake President and two Church executives brought David into [name of state deleted] Mormon Church offices at the [name of city deleted]-based congregation and interrogated him about his writings, telling him 'Cease and desist, Brother [last name deleted].' In a letter they scheduled an excommunication 'for apostasy' on September 30 at 7:30am, to remove David from the LDS church.

"During the interrogation, LDS leaders questioned David for not publishing his full name and hiding his identity. To the leaders, David insisted that, 'In my heart I believe I am championing truth as I know it as managing editor of MormonThink.'

"The next question from them was: 'Who are the other individuals you work with on MormonThink?' They denied that they are on--in their word--'a witch hunt' but they continued demanding that David answer, 'If people are truly interested in truth, as you say they are, then why would they hide their name or who they are?'

"Many of us have seen the harm openly raising doubts can cause with family, friends and community in the Mormon culture. David asked them why now, and how did they come up with his name so fast after posting the articles. They would only say they were 'inspired.' He’s since heard that a Mormon apologist tied to the BYU affiliated FAIR alerted leaders in Salt Lake City, with David’s identity.

"The quick action is being kept quiet by the LDS Church. Despite the harm it may cause him with his family and friends, David has decided that the public should be aware of what is happening within the walls of the Mormon Church to those that dissent during this 'Mormon Moment.'"

• By the time the reporters from the New York Times and Salt Lake Tribune interviewed Twede, they had already seen the article in The Daily Beast and were skeptical that the actual reason for the discipline was the result of anything he said about Romney. The New York Times concluded,

Mr. Twede’s situation was first reported on Friday by the Web site The Daily Beast, which suggested that Mr. Twede was being disciplined because he had posted several articles on MormonThink critical of Mr. Romney.

In an interview, however, Mr. Twede said he was not certain that this was the reason he was facing excommunication. He has also written posts on his personal blog, linked to MormonThink, about how he recently started attending church again after five years as an atheist. He described how he had struck up a friendship with a Mormon he called Pat and had e-mailed materials to Pat and Pat’s spouse that he hoped would shake their faith. ^[10]

• Peggy Fletcher Stack of the Salt Lake Tribune noted after interviewing Twede,

But, Twede told The Salt Lake Tribune on Friday, his LDS leaders never brought up Romney, a Mormon, in their exchange with him. Though not supporting the Republican standard-bearer, Twede apologized to Romney, saying, "I didn’t mean for [the story] to go this way." ^[11]

• When Twede took over the editorship of MormonThink from the previous editor, he replaced the page that had previously been removed that contained detailed content about the temple. On September 5, 2012, he restored the article to the MormonThink website,

The Temple & Masonry - back by popular demand - 9/5/12

Early in 2012, some of the MormonThink editors elected to remove the Temple section from our website in an effort to appease some Latter-day Saints who expressed their reluctance to have any sort of public discussion on any aspect of the temple. However, the current editors of MT decided that this information was just too important to not discuss openly in light of the fact that Mitt Romney is running for president and many people wonder about the significance that the temple oaths may have on the man having the most powerful position in the world. ^[12]

• After his meeting with Church leaders, he removed the page once again.

"They [his local LDS leaders] were upset by the fact that I was discussing the temple, which is connected to Mitt Romney in my article," Twede told the Daily Beast. "I revealed things about the temple, and secrecy, and other things that they just don’t want anyone to talk about." ^[13]

• After seeing the Salt Lake Tribune and New York Times articles, Twede again changed his mind and decided that Romney must have been the motive after all, claiming that when he was interviewed by these reporters that he "had begun to question the motive" behind the discipline,

I feel, in my gut, that these excuses only strengthen the case that it was likely political. Before this, I had begun to question the motive, but I again feel stronger that this is probably a considerable factor. I think 'The DailyBeast' probably reflects what I initially and again most recently believe. ^[14]

By this point, it seems as if only Twede and Steve Benson, architects of the plan to take this issue to the press, were accepting Twede's self-contradictory accounts as reliable. And, no wonder--the facts just don't support them. And, they seem to have known it ahead of time.

MormonThink editor David Twede says...
...lots of things shown to be deceptive and false.

Things to think about

• What can we conclude about the organization about which Twede is the managing editor? Are they likely to be both truthful and complete? We have found that MormonThink's materials are not.
• Is it possible that these same tactics of bait-and-switch, misrepresentation, and falsehood also appear there? Yes, we have found this in MormonThink's materials too.
• In FAIR's judgment, it is not just possible, but clearly probable--see reviews of individuals claims and pages here: A FAIR review of MormonThink.
• Watch for similar tactics: misrepresentation, omission of relevant data, distortion of the claims of active Mormons,^[15] and an attempt to conceal MormonThink's true motives from their readers.

== Notes ==

1. [note]  R.B. Scott, "‘Mormon Moment’ Marked By Mischief And Meanness," cognoscenti (28 September 2012).
2. [note]  David Twede, cited in Jamie Reno, "Mormons Want to Excommunicate Romney Critic," The Daily Beast (21 September 2012).
3. [note]  David Twede, Facebook post, 2 February 2010, 5:28 p.m. (link was open to public viewing and has now been deleted or blocked; screenshots in copy of authors).
4. [note]  David Twede, cited in Peggy Fletcher Stack, "Mormon blogger, a Romney critic, faces church discipline, but why?" The Salt Lake Tribune (21 September 2012).
5. [note]  R.B. Scott, "‘Mormon Moment’ Marked By Mischief And Meanness," cognoscenti (28 September 2012).
6. [note]  David Twede, cited in Stephen Hudak, "Writer says blog miffs Mormons," Orlando Sentinel (21 September 2012).
7. [note]  Posted by "mormonthinker" [David Twede] on Recovery from Mormonism, 6 September 2012.
8. [note]  Stack, "Mormon blogger," op cite.
9. [note]  McKay Coppins, "No, The Mormon Church Is Not Excommunicating Romney Critics: But a baseless story that went viral this week highlights a daunting challenge for Mormonism," buzzfeed.com (28 September 2012, 23h00 EDT).
10. [note]  Laurie Goodstein, "Editor of Web Site May Face Mormon Excommunication," New York Times, 21 September 2012.
11. [note] Peggy Fletcher Stack, "LDS blogger, a Romney critic, faces church discipline, but why?," Salt Lake Tribune, Sept. 21, 2012.
12. [note]  Posted by "mormonthinker" [David Twede] on Recovery from Mormonism, 6 September 2012.
13. [note] Peggy Fletcher Stack, op. cite.
14. [note] "War Worn," by David Twede, "MormonThink.com," 22 September 2012, at: http://mormonthinkblog2012.blogspot.com/2012/09/war-worn.html
15. [note]  See this page, in which MormonThink completely misrepresents Daniel C. Peterson's claim about Alma 11.